RFID tags are known in the art. These so-called tags often assume the form factor of a label or a literal “tag” but are also sometimes integrated with a host article and/or its packaging. RFID tags typically comprise an integrated circuit and one or more antennas. The integrated circuit typically carries out a variety of functions including modulating and demodulating radio frequency signals, data storage, and data processing. Some integrated circuits are self-powered (in whole or in part) while others are completely dependent upon an external power source to support their occasional functionality.
There are proposals to utilize RFID tags to individually identify individual items. The Electronic Product Code (EPC) as managed by EPCGlobal, Inc. represents one such effort in these regards. EPC-based RFID tags each have an utterly unique serial number to thereby uniquely identify each tag and, by association, each item associated on a one-for-one basis with such tags.
Being able to read and then uniquely identify each item within a manufacturing facility, a cargo container, a staging area, or in a retail display area offers any number of useful opportunities. Unfortunately, the very nature of RFID-based technology, coupled with a correspondingly potentially enormous number of individually-tagged items, also gives rise to a number of challenges as well. As one simple example in these regards, retailers often present their items as modularized offerings (using a support platform of choice, such as a shelf or set of shelves, a tabletop, a display rack, and so forth). In many application settings these modules are physically discrete displays of items that are offered for retail sale.
In such a case, it can be helpful to inventory such items on a module-by-module basis. Unfortunately, present RFID tag methodologies and approaches offer little to specifically support such an approach. This problem exists, at least in part, because there is nothing inherent or intrinsic about the EPC coding scheme (or its functional counterparts) and/or its corresponding reading protocol that identifies, for example, a specific module to which a corresponding item belongs. Furthermore, such an arrangement would not necessarily be helpful in and of itself, as a given retailer can decide to modularize a given collection of items in ways that are unanticipated by such an a priori approach.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.